News for Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Stories

Last week I described a difficult decision I had to make as a junior in college.
Would I turn professional or return for my senior year of college playing on a team that had an opportunity to compete for a national collegiate championship (we were ranked No. 1 in the NAIA national poll for several weeks the previous year)?
I gave five life lessons in last week's column for graduating seniors, so we'll pick this week up from there.
No. 6: When you have two choices to make, you better have a solid moral foundation to help you decide. It would be easy to rationalize a jump to a professional team so that I could begin to make money doing something I had dreamed about since I was a kid.

With conditions expected to be ideal for wildfires, Bureau of Land Management officials Monday urged Northwest Colorado residents to practice caution when burning outdoors.
“Conditions this year may be as dry as they’ve ever been for the Memorial Day weekend kick-off of the summer outdoor recreation season,” officials stated in a news release. “This unseasonable dryness combined with an abundance of tall, dead vegetation from last year create conditions that will readily burn and carry fire if an ignition source, such as an ember from a campfire, is provided.”

Everyone is quick to decry Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gadaffi and the rest of their kind as modern-day monsters, but how many people have considered their point of view?
Well, a few minutes of “The Dictator” probably won’t endear you to such figures, but you’ll get a few laughs.
In the North African nation of Wadiya, all the residents live in absolute adoration of their ruler, Adm. Gen. Hafez Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen). The reason for their devotion is simple — they must either profess their allegiance or be killed on the spot.
Aladeen’s style of government, a dictatorship in which everyone caters to his every instantaneous whim, has made him the target of multiple assassination attempts and an enemy of nearly every country in the world. When he starts stockpiling weapons like there’s no tomorrow, the United Nations decides it can no longer turn a blind eye to his policies and insists Aladeen appear in New York City to defend his actions.

MCHS gears up for graduation, year-end ceremonies

A painting with the numbers “2012” in fiery red lettering hung in the Moffat County High School gymnasium Monday morning.
“It’s not the end,” it read. “It’s just the beginning.”
The artwork and a stage set up beneath it were among the first signs that both an end and a beginning are approaching for the class of 2012.
Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the MCHS gym, 900 Finley Lane.
Doors open at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early, “because you’re not going to find a seat at 10 o’ clock,” MCHS Principal Thom Schnellinger said.